“Only about 500 left worldwide”: rare chick born at sanctuary

Tengrinews.kz - In one of the world’s largest urban eco-sanctuaries, a pair of rare New Zealand takahē birds-once believed to be infertile-has had a chick. A heartwarming video has appeared online.

The clip was published on the sanctuary’s official Instagram page.

“A takahē pair-male Bendigo and female Waitaa, who live at the Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne sanctuary-have welcomed a chick. It was previously believed that Bendigo was infertile, so the chick’s arrival can truly be called a miracle. Bendigo and Waitaa have shown themselves to be caring parents,” the sanctuary said.

The sanctuary clarified that takahē chicks are very vulnerable, so the conservation team is working to ensure the chick’s safety.

“Over time, staff will determine the chick’s sex and give it a name. Every chick is of enormous importance for the survival of the species, whose population currently stands at around 500 individuals,” the post notes.

According to media reports, the roughly seven-week-old chick was discovered back in November on the sanctuary’s grounds-a fully fenced nature reserve located just ten minutes from central Wellington (New Zealand). The sanctuary did not announce the news publicly right away in order to protect the chick.

It is also specified that takahē once lived on New Zealand’s South Island, but by the early 20th century they were considered extinct. In 1948, the birds were rediscovered in the wild. Since then, takahē have been part of New Zealand’s longest-running endangered-species conservation program, under which the population has gradually increased to about 500 birds.